Storm of the Century
by Psycofoxx
Summary: The final chapter is up. One is lost, and those remaining must live with their guilt.
1. Default Chapter

The Storm of the Century

The Storm of the Century 

_ This is my attempt at writing a horror story, if you haven't guessed from the name and the title the FF7 characters relive the Stephen King novel "Storm of the century"._

Part 1

Silver hair fell elegantly across black clad shoulders as the figure pulled the bloodied sword from the now limp body. Streamers of blood ran down the slightly curved blade as he touched the tip to the crystal floor forming a sticky pool of dark red. Sephiroth tilted his fined boned face up from the body and smirked, "Just give me what I want, and I'll go away."

Cloud woke with a start in the chill air of Icicle Inn. Even as the dream faded he could feel the burning gaze of mako green eyes. He could hear a taunting voice making it's incomprehensible demand for something unspecified. He still couldn't understand what he had meant by that remark or why Aeris had had to die for it. He couldn't stop the nightmares that plagued him every night stop either. He caught his breath listening to the winter wind howl outside, and the sounds of Barret snoring in the bed across from his. Red made a soft woofing sound in his sleep as he tossed uncomfortably in the bed designed for humans. It was much too early to wake the others so Cloud lay quietly trying to fall back to sleep.

After an hour he decided it was useless, and got up to dress quickly in the frigid morning air. He slipped quietly out of the inn. The snow came over his boots as he walked towards the hill. He stopped as he caught sight of a figure already there, her long brown hair blowing wildly past the hood of her coat. "Tifa?" he said quietly his voice almost lost to the wind. She turned to acknowledge his presence then went back to stare silently at the night sky. They stood there for a long time, quiet except for the wind. 

"I think a storm is coming." She said finally pointing over to the horizon where the stars could not be seen. Cloud merely nodded, sensing there was something else she wanted to say. "I don't...." She began before her words were caught in her throat, "I don't understand how he could do such a thing. I knew that he could, but I just can't comprehend why." Cloud looked at her echoing the same sentiments in his mind, "I know some of you thought that I was jealous of her, but I wasn't. We were like sisters, we were planning to go dress shopping when this was over. I know that sounds silly now but....." Her red eyes glistened with tears as she stared at him. "It's just not fair."

Cloud took her in his arms, holding her tightly against the night, "I know, it's okay." he whispered. "huh?" He broke away suddenly looking out over the purpling dawn. A truck was coming up the road to the village, a familiar red logo emblazoned n the side. "Shinra! We have to go warn the others." They both turned to run back to the inn.

The group assembled quickly when Cloud and Tifa brought the news to the Inn. The Shinra troops move quickly however and the road out was already blocked when the emerged. "Well what do we do now?" Cloud whispered back to the rest of the group.

"The only way forward is down the slope." Red spoke up reasonably.

"Then the only way to get passed them is to use the snowboard!" Yuffie cheered happily. 

"This ain't no game girl, keep quiet." Barret scolded ignoring Yuffie's threatening punches to the air. 

"I hate to say it, but she's right." Cloud said dejectedly causing Yuffie to beam victoriously. "Let's just hurry."

"Stop right there!" A voice called out from behind them. Two Shinra soldiers and a familiar blonde in a suit ran up to Cloud. "How dare you show your face after what you did to Tseng?!" She shouted.

"Tseng? But that was Sephiroth..." Cloud began.

"Shut up you Liar!" Elena screamed balling her fist for a punch, and missing spectacularly rolling down the hill with the two guards in pursuit.

Part 2

The trip across the great glacier was fuzzy in everyone's minds. All most of them could recall was the biting cold from Tifa's predicted storm as they crossed the endless sea of white. The sky darkened to dusk with no signs of habitation in sight. Their arms and legs screamed protest in the joints as the rest of their body fell numb. In the end the endless white was replaced by endless black and the calm of senselessness. 

When they reawakened they found themselves on fur mats in a wooden house. The smell of wood smoke burning in their noses. Cloud looked around to make sure the others were accounted for. He was alerted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs, a blast of wind ruffled everyone's hair as a old man entered.

"You're awake." He remarked a little surprised "You passed out on the great glacier, it's a wonder you're still alive."

"Where are we?" Cloud asked.

"You're in my home at the base of the Gaia cliffs. My name is Mr.Holzoff."

"I'm Cloud, and these are my friends. We need to get to the top of the cliffs."

The old man made a slow sweep of the room with his gaze. I don't think you can make it now, the storm out there looks pretty bad, and it's getting worse by the minute. You should wait it out here."

Cloud turned back to his listening comrades. "Well what do you guys think?"

"It's too cold here, I'd rather head back to the Inn." Suggested Barret.

"But the Shinra might still be there." Said Red thrashing his tail.

"Besides" Holzoff cut in "The storm has snowed out the trails for now, you can't get back."

Cloud sighed "I guess this means we're staying for the duration." They were suddenly interrupted by a burst of static from the corner. Cait Sith was jerking wildly giving off odd radio signals. 

"What's wrong with him?" Shouted Yuffie.

"There must be a problem with his controls!" Replied Cid, gaping at the oddly moving toy. 

Cait Sith suddenly went stiff. "No the controller." A voice replied out of the toy mouth. "I'm sorry but Cait Sith will no longer be operational. I won't go away until I get what I want!" Then the signal cut off. The others stared in silence at the toy as the realization of what had just happened began to sink in. Another ally had just died at the hands of Sephiroth. 

They all sat quietly in Holzoff's living room. Barret had been the one to get rid of the stuffed toy. Time passed slowly in the small house. As the day wore on the sound of the wind outside grew louder, howling like some demented monster. The one window showed only an endless white in which no shapes could be determined. The inside of the hose began to grow cold despite the hot fire blazing in the hearth. Then a sound came from outside the house, barely above the raging storm. Mr. Holzoff walked over to the door to see what it was while the others watched him curiously. 

A blast of wind tore through the house as he opened the door, carrying with it flakes of snow and hail. Three dark clothed figures rudely pushed past Holzoff into the relative warmth of the house. The members of Cloud's group leapt up in shock.

"You!" Shouted Elena as she caught sight of them. There was a clattering of metal as everyone in the room, except Holzoff, prepared their weapons. 

"How did you do that to our airship?" Reno demanded.

"Huh? What do you mean to your airship?" Asked Cloud.

"Don't plat dumb Cloud" yelled Elena, "your stupid demand came over the radio just before the engines stopped and the ship crashed. Who else would want to murder the president?!"

"What Message?" Asked Cloud even more bewildered.

"The president is dead?" Barrett cut in almost joyfully.

"The Highwind was destroyed?" Cid asked despairingly.

"Give me what I want, and I'll go away? What is that supposed to mean anyway?"

"What!" cried Tifa in surprise "That's what Sephiroth said when he killed Aeris!"

"You mean Aeris is dead? And you're not the ones who killed Tseng?" Elena asked skeptically. 

"I told you that already!" replied Cloud.

"STOP! Holzoff shouted over them. I won't have you fighting in my house! Just wait until the storm is over to settle your disputes!" 

"We really don't have anything to do with them if they didn't kill Tseng." Reno admitted.

"What? You actually believe them?" Elena demanded "And what about work ethic? It's our job to get them."

"Not if Rufus is dead, its not. We technically don't have a job anymore."

"But" She protested "Then what do we do now?"

"All you can do is sit tight and wait out the storm." Holzoff put in "There's no way to travel out there now, this is the storm of the century." 

Part 3.

Night had fallen over the Gaia Cliffs. Blanketing the snow swept region with another layer of darkness and cold. The unlikely group of people lay stretched out among the furs in Mr. Holzoff's cabin. They each tried to sleep through the screaming of the storm outside, and the growing cold that caused them to huddle deeper into their furs. As they drifted off to sleep one by one a malevolent presence seemed to approach their slumber.

_Good Afternoon watchers. The Storm of the century has finally ended after three frightening days of hail, wind, and snow. People from Icicle Inn to the excavation sight are digging out their homes and chipping away ice. All except for here, at the cabin of Mr.Holzoff, mountain climber and recluse. Residents at the Icicle Inn report that just before the storm began a group of traveler headed towards the Gaia Cliffs; also reported was that a Shinra airship passed overhead in the same direction. The Airship has been found, along with the bodies of the President of Shina Rufus, Shinra Weapons technology head Scarlet, Head of Shinra science Hojo, and the crew members. The three members of the Shinra administrative research office, otherwise known as the turks, are missing._

_ From all evidence the groups must have met here at the cabin, a remote controlled mog said to be a member of the group was found at the cabin. However both the owner of the cabin and the others are missing. The only other event in history like this one was the case of the city of Ancients, otherwise known as Sari. A huge blizzard swept in one night, and when it lifted the town was empty. Not a man, woman or child remained in the empty town. Oddly enough there was no sign of any kind of struggle, or exodus, everything was placed as it normally would be except for the word "croatan" carved into a post in the town. What is Croatan? A tribe? An Island? We may never know, and Yuffie, Wutai will never recover. _

Yuffie twitched in her sleep, and rolled over encased in the nightmare.

_ The snow still fell heavily though the wind had mostly stopped. Thick white flakes stuck to their hair and clothes as the line of people continued on into the darkness. "sorry" the word barely whispered seemed to fill the quiet. "Sorry" another voiced continued in despair. The people, both the heros of the world, and some of the world destroying Shinra walked onward as powerless puppets, vanishing into the eternal white of the storm. The cliffs of the ridge overlooked the terrible beauty of the promised land, mako blasted into the air forming waves of glowing green crested with the storm fog, and snow. Without faltering in their steps the people, both good and evil, stepped over the edge to disappear into the chaos below._

Yuffie jerked awake in a sweat, the memory of death fresh in he mind.The remembrance of numbing cold, and of the burning of mako itched along her skin, but without real pain because it wasn't truly real. She sat as she worked to get back her breath. The suddenly both Vincent and Reno woke up the way she had. Vincent put his hand over his eyes. "More nightmares" he whispered to himself.

"About dying in the promised land..." Yuffie whispered.

"You were...?" Vincent asked curiously. 

"You had the same dream as me?" Yuffie responded stunned.

Reno looked their way, "They're all having the same dream." They looked out over the others as they slept. They twitched in their sleep, moving their hands futilely against an invisible force in their minds. One by one they awoke as they died in their dream, everyone's one dream. Without needing to verbally confirm it, they could tell from the looks of the others that they had all awakened by nightmares. Before they could begin to speak about it Tifa stood up quickly. 

"I'm going to the bathroom" she said leaving the room quickly. Tifa was tired, two friends had died so suddenly and it hurt her so much, like when her home had been destroyed, too many people at once. She opened the door to the little room; and let out a chocked scream. The other ran up alerted by the sudden noise. Mr.Holzoff lay in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor. The bloodied Masamune rested against the wall for a moment then vanished the instant everyone noticed it. The blood left a message across the wall, "Just give me what I want, and I'll go away." They all gasped in horror at the death of the kindly old man.

"What do you want!" Screamed Tifa not expecting an answer, but oddly enough an answer came.

"I'll tell you at midnight, everyone should be there." Sephiroth's voice echoed around him. The afterwards there was nothing but silence. 

Part 4

Everyone from Avalanche members to the three turks sat in agitated silence awaiting the appointed hour. Suddenly the doors burst open and Sephiroth appeared before them. He began to walk through the them to the far wall. He stopped to look over at Elena, "Hello Elena" He said sweetly "You were really happy that Aeris died weren't you? Even if Tseng was dead you couldn't stand that he would choose her over you, could you?" Elena shook her head and looked away "Oh and Yuffie, you know its not all your fathers fault that you lost the war, remember your little prank?" Yuffie went pale as Sephiroth continued. "You know Barret, Cait Sith would've mentioned this if he lived, but do you know how many civilian casualties there were when you blew up the reactor?"

"Barret jumped up "Shut up you, it had to happen!"

Sephiroth only smirked then turned to face them all. "That doesn't matter anyway. I suppose you all know that I plan to join with the lifestream. However that is rather" he paused "problematic without a body, since I was killed five years ago by a lowly trooper." He smirked at Cloud who began shaking without quite knowing why. "So now I have a proposal for you; I want one person, it doesn't matter who, to surrender their body to me. If you do so I will take the slow way to lifestream and I will not summon meteor. If you refuse I will kill you all like you saw in your dreams. So the decision is yours one person surrendered in life or all of you in death. You have half an hour to decide. Then he was gone leaving then with the task of weighing his terrible offer.

_Well thats the end of the first and longer half of the story, please no death threats from fans of either story. Well if you are familiar with "The Storm of the Century" then you should know that one person refuses the offer, and one person is sacrificed to the evil. I'll let the people who review the story decide who the two are in their reviews. __So review and decide their fate, heh heh heh._


	2. Vote

    Cloud slowly got up and stood at the head of the room. The others looked at him quietly. Even the Turks waited to hear what he had to say, and no one else wanted to be the first to talk. Cloud bowed his head for a moment, looking for the words to begin. "I have acted as leader for most of you before, I will speak for you now." He began, turning his head up to look at them with as much composure as he could muster,  "It looks pretty hopeless now, we have been given a choice between death, or the loss of one of us. I think that we should discuss this, but we only have half an hour." 

     "We really don't have a choice, do we?" Elena asked, "It's either one, or all of us. It seems better for only one of us to die, doesn't it?"

     "I hate to say it but she's right," Barret added, "for the sake of the world, we have to make sacrifices, like when we decided to bomb the reactor; some things just have to be done, even if it's tough."

    "Wait!" Nanaki barked, leaping up from his seat on the floor, tail thrashing, "Did we come this far just to surrender to Sephiroth? We can't sacrifice one of our own just to get the easy way out! My father's spirit will never rest in peace if I was such a coward!"

    "This isn't surrendering." Tifa said quietly "If we were to fight him it's likely some of us would die in the battle anyway, it may be hard to let someone go, but the other way isn't necessarily better." 

     "That's right." Cid added loudly with his cigarette clenched between the teeth at the side of his mouth, "If we lose the battle with him then everyone would @#$%ing die, this way we know that the world won't be destroyed, and we'll only lose one person!"

     "But that will be at the cost of our souls!" Nanaki said turning to Cid, "this wouldn't be like losing someone in battle, this is sacrificing someone without even trying! Are we going to let Sephiroth live, and not avenge Aeris?!"

     "We aren't part of your group" Reno said to the side "It isn't our business what happened to her. We don't even really have any business since Rufus is dead, Shin-Ra is done for we just have to worry about staying alive."

    "What about Tseng then? Sephiroth killed him too didn't he?" Nanaki replied. 

    "Tseng is dead, even killing Sephiroth can't change that." Reno replied harshly. Nanaki growled at the callousness toward the death of the leader that the Turks had been so loyal too, but more than that he was disgusted by the fact that it was more a fact of fear then of the reason that Reno was trying to project. He could smell it on every one of them with his animal like senses. He knew that Sephiroth had been playing with their minds, he had had the dreams as well, but this was too much.

    "He's right Red" Tifa said in a subdued voice "Aeris is dead too, we can't change what has happened."

     "Aeris is dead and so is Hojo" Vincent spoke up from the back "He has returned to the nightmares for his crimes. I have no need to continue pursuing a meaningless battle. Besides," He looked up from the shadows directly at Nanaki, his eyes glowing the eerie red of his genetically altered form "I don't want to have to kill the son of that beautiful woman if I don't have too. If I do then I may never be able to repent for my sins."

   "If we fail and the world is destroyed, I will never be able to rebuild Wutai!" Yuffie exclaimed "I don't mind a sacrifice if it means being able to save my homeland. My pride as a ninja means that I am willing to sacrifice even myself for the best chance to save the world!"

    Nanaki thrashed his tail, "Your pride? Does your pride allow you to give up without even fighting?"

    "That's enough Red!" Barret yelled "How can you act so tough when you left Cosmo canyon?! How can you say that you know better than us, you're just a kid!" 

    "STOP!" yelled Cloud before they could begin yelling, "Everyone, our time is almost up, we have to vote now on whether or not we accept the deal."

    "But we can't…" Nanaki began.

    "Red, that's enough." Tifa hushed placing her hand on his shoulder "we have to let everyone decide now."

    Cloud took a deep breath, "Now, who is in favor of giving up one person, in order to keep Sephiroth from destroying the world with meteor?" There was silence in the room for a moment. Then Reno raised his hand, followed slowly by Rude and Elena, Barret and Cid were next. Cloud raised his hand as he stood at the front, and then Yuffie, finally Vincent quietly raised his hand from the corner. Tifa glanced at Nanaki guiltily, before walking up next to Cloud.

   "I vote yes." She said, in a voice that seemed more confident then she was. 

    "That's nine." Cloud said looking at Nanaki "are there any objections?" 

    "Yes." Nanaki declared angrily rearing up to put his paw in the air.

    "That makes it nine to one, we will accept the deal." Just as Cloud finished the pronouncement the clock by the wall chimed the hour, their half-hour was over.

     The room grew quiet at the sound, and then the doors opened again. A freezing wind screamed through the house, as Sephiroth re-entered, standing against the storm like he already was a god. Snow the color of his hair circled around him in the wind, making him seem unreal. He said nothing; he just stood there, waiting.

    Cloud shivered, from what might have been the cold, "We have decided to accept the offer." He stated.

    "Indeed." Sephiroth said smirking. He took a step into the room, the doors shut behind him, cutting out the storm again. "Then who is to be given must be decided. I will leave that up to chance." he said pulling a small black bag from his coat that rattled slightly. There are ten stones in this bag, nine of which are white, the last is black, whoever draws the black stone will forfeit their life." He looked around the room slowly, still smirking, "Now shall we begin?" 

_  Okay I know that this chapter is short and a little corny, but no one who bothered voting picked the same victim. So if you want the last part of the story please R&R with who you think should draw the black stone. BTW it can't be Nanaki. _


	3. The end

   The stood in a row, as if they were prisoners awaiting the firing squad. Each was silent with their own apprehensions. One of them would be gone in a few minutes, it didn't seem to matter whom. Avalanche, the Turks, they were enemies in name, but they had developed respect for each other. Especially after the incident in Wutai, and now that the heads of Shinra were dead they could almost become friends.

    Sephiroth came to each in turn and held out the bag. He was somehow unreal, his force of presence made him seem to tower over them, even over the few who were taller physically. Even in his simple act of walking down the row of people, he moved with a predator's easy grace, beautiful and terrible. One at a time they picked a stone and held it, unseen in their hand. Sephiroth came to Nanaki last, lowering the almost empty bag to within his reach. Nanaki, not having hands, caught the bottom of the bag in his claw and pulled sharply. The bag dropped, sending a white pebble, like clouded quartz, skittering across the floor. Sephiroth gave Nanaki a cruel smile and gestured him out of line with a mock flourish. Then turned to watch the rest.

     At first nobody moved. Then Vincent, moving slowly, as if half in dream, lifted his hand to his face, revealing the second white stone. Just as slowly he let his hand fall, dropping the stone, and left the line.

     Rude turned to glare at Sephiroth through his sunglasses, then he forcefully jerked out his hand. The third white stone. 

     Yuffie took that as a cue, stretching out her fist in front of herself, she closed her eyes tightly, "please" she whispered quietly, before opening her hand. She let out an indrawn breath as she opened her eyes to see the white stone in her palm.

     Barret clenched his fist tighter around his stone, "Marlene" he said like a prayer; white.

     "That's half already." Reno said, his nonchalant manner seeming forced in the tense air, but he held out his hand, pulling his fingers away from the white stone that had made red dents in his pale skin from how tightly he had gripped it.

     "@#^$%*&$ Lets finish this." Cid snarled gritting his teeth. He pulled up his hand to show a white stone. "Thank god" he murmured in a more subdued tone.

     "No" Cloud whispered "I can't do this." He said louder holding his unrevealed stone clutched against his chest, backing away. Sephiroth turned slowly to him, arching one fine eyebrow. Cloud's arm jerked like a puppets, then his hand snapped open, letting a white stone clatter to the wooden floor.

     Tifa and Elena looked at each other, the last two standing in the line. As if by an unspoken command, they stood face to face and held out their closed hands next to one another. For one eternal moment they looked each other in the eye, then they both seemed to draw a breath in unison, and opened their hands at the same time. Tifa made a small sound. Then she dropped her stone and ran to Cloud.

     Elena stood there like a statue, the black stone glinting eerily against her pale skin.

     The room seemed suddenly filled with a blinding blue-white light. Elena closed her eyes and began to collapse. Sephiroth caught her, almost gently in his arms, cradling her like a baby. 

    "NO" Rude yelled ripping off his sunglasses "You fooled us, you knew we didn't have a way to know!"

     Sephiroth stopped in the doorway, turning back with Elena unconscious in his arms. "No, perhaps you fooled yourselves." Then he began to walk again. Rude raced after him. Sephiroth lifted up into the storm with his burden, vanishing into the bleakness and the wind. 

    "Stop" Rude yelled after him, his voice hoarse "Bring her back!"

     Daylight glistened on the snow at icicle inn. The survivors of the storm had come up from the cabin. Apparently one of their group had been lost in the storm. They reported that Mr.Holzoff had also pasted away, but they would say nothing more. Each seemed to be brooding over something unsaid between them. "Survivor's syndrome" the townspeople would say, and ignore it. It wasn't unusual for people to feel guilty when someone they knew died in a natural disaster. 

     Nanaki left sooner then the others, too much was between them now. He didn't feel like he could stand to talk to them anymore. Even if Elena had once been their enemy, she had been so callously sacrificed. Shinra had ended when the Highwind crashed with Rufus and the other aboard. They could have been friends.

      Nanaki did not return to Cosmo Canyon. After all that had happened the canyon no longer needed a protector, and he felt the urge to wander. Days swept past like leaves caught in a gale. Tifa sometimes called him on the PHS to keep him informed. She and Cloud had married. She sent him a picture. It was a pretty wedding, but something in their eyes made it look like they weren't really there. As if they had died in that cabin in the ice, and were only living out their perfect life in a dream world.

      Rude had not really recovered from Elena's loss. They had seen in Wutai that Elena had meant a lot to him, but no one had guessed how much. He started drinking heavily. Then in a drunken rage one night in a bar, he attacked Reno and killed him accidentally. When he sobered up and realized what he had done he took his own life. 

     Vincent had first gone to the chocobo mage in the northern mountains. Some people say that they saw him with a river chocobo there that could climb a waterfall, but after that, he disappeared. He left a note with Cloud saying that he was going to sleep again, after he found Lucrecia.

    Barret moved to Kalm with Marlene. He helped to organize people after the collapse of Shinra, but he refused to accept any position in the new government. He removed his gunarm, and never touched it again.

     Cid returned to Rocket town. He got a job in town, saying that it was his turn to support Shera. The shuttle collapsed soon afterwards with no one to maintain it. Those who were there said that he didn't even look up when it came down.

     Yuffie seemed to handle it the best. She returned to Wutai, and went about what seemed normal for her. One day she got a small boat and paddled out into the sea near Wutai. The empty boat washed up on the shore three days later with the word Croatan written on the bow. They couldn't find a body.

     Nanaki's travels had brought him to Midgar again, a place he had once sworn never to return to, but that was a different time. With Shinra gone, plants were once again blooming. Slowly but surely, the animals returned to the land. Nanaki walked through the streets, looking around at how the city had changed. He passed through Aeris' church. The flowers were still well kept by the children there. 

      Nanaki was preparing to return to his inn for the night, when a familiar blond figure swept past him. He looked up just as she turned to corner. He raced after her, "Elena?" he called as he came around the bend. She turned briefly to look at him, her hair was longer now, but that could be ignored. It was her face that stopped him cold. Her expression was one of cold arrogance that didn't suit her personality, and her eyes glowed mako green. When Elena/Sephiroth turned away and continued on, Nanaki made no move to follow.

    He considered telling Tifa about the encounter, but decided that it was better left alone. Thinking back, it was easy to see how they all could have succumbed to fear, in the cold and darkness of the storm; how they all could've given in, but by daylight he knew better.

_  Well I would really like to know what people thought of the ending. I was considering doing an alternate ending where Cloud got picked because he was essentially tied with Elena, but I think the endings would be too similar to be interesting. I will try to repost this after I have a chance to clean up the grammar a bit, but I wanted to just get it up first. So in conclusion, PLEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE review!_


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